Personally, I think PETA is nutso. They feel about laboratory rats the
way GWB says he feels about stem cells. I've often wondered how much of
this fear of discovery is rooted in some pathologic desire to make time
stand still or regress to some Disneyfied version of the past.

On Jul 24, 2005, at 1:00 PM, kmrsy wrote:

Jim, they haven't responded to my message yet. Good to see yours.
It doesn't appear that they addressed the specific NC situation from
the
message that started this. However, Just as I suspected, there is a
bit of
a "conspiracy' behind it as they explain the background of CCF. About
20
years ago I was a PETA member, but dropped it after awhile. Then all
you
ever read about was the radical, violent, idiotic things they do. But
I
know that behind that, they are trying to do some good things for
animals.

Thank you for contacting PETA about the "PETA Kills Animals" ad and
the accompanying promotions for it.

We believe a lot of good will come from this shabby attempt to
undermine PETA's efforts to help animals. This campaign is the work
of
the deceitfully-named Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF), a front
group
for Philip Morris, Outback Steakhouse, KFC, cattle ranchers, and
other
animal exploiters who kill millions of animals every year, not out of
pity, but out of greed. These companies are worried about the strides
that PETA is making that are changing their industries and compelling
them to take animal welfare concerns seriously, so they hope to scare
people away from caring about animals by spending millions on ads
like
this. To learn more about CCF-which USA Today recently opined should
rename itself FatforProfit.com-please see the following Web sites:

Despite its deceptive intent, we're grateful for the opportunity that
this ad provides to discuss the animal overpopulation crisis. We are
on the front lines of the battle to turn back the tide of unwanted
dogs and cats, and we need your help.

Our caseworkers tirelessly rescue homeless animals from environmental
dangers, as well as cruelty and neglect
(http://www.PETA.org/feat/cap/). They crawl through sewers, poke
through junkyards, climb trees, and dodge traffic in order to reach
animals in danger. During floods and storms, they are out saving
lives
at all hours.

We do not run a traditional shelter. In fact, we refer every healthy,
cute, young animal we can to shelters. And some of the animals we
rescue are lost companions whom we are able to joyfully reunite with
their families. Of the homeless animals we take in ourselves, the
healthy and adoptable ones are fostered, adopted, or taken to local
shelters. However, most of the animals we receive are broken beings
for whom euthanasia is, without a doubt, the most humane option. To
learn more, please see our factsheet athttp://www.PETA.org/mc/factsheet_display.asp?ID=39.

To cite a local instance, our caseworkers were able to gain custody
of
a dog-locked to a 15 pound chain-who was starved until she was
severely emaciated. We had to carry her into the emergency clinic
because she could barely walk. On the doctor's advice, we gave her
food and water in a comfortable room and monitored her progress
overnight but, by the next morning, she couldn't keep the food down,
so we rushed her again to see a veterinarian. He recommended
euthanasia due to the severity of her condition, she was in a lot of
pain and faced an agonizing, lingering death otherwise. The most
humane option for her was a peaceful and dignified release from her
suffering. We are pursuing criminal charges against the person
responsible for her condition. To learn more, please seehttp://www.HelpingAnimals.com/f-asiasstory.html.

On another occasion, when a power-line transformer explosion burned a
flock of starlings, PETA was the only agency to come to the birds'
aid; if our trained technicians had not been ready to end these
starlings' misery, the injured birds would have suffered in agony for
days before finally succumbing to a painful death. We also provide
free euthanasia services for local residents who have very sick,
critically injured, or geriatric companions but can't afford to take
them to a veterinarian. One family, lacking money for vet care and
transportation, turned to us for help for their cat, who had barely
crawled back home after being mauled by a pack of dogs. We were able
to help by giving the cat a peaceful end to her intense pain.

The best way to save the lives of homeless animals is to reduce their
numbers through spay/neuter programs, such as PETA's mobile SNIP
(Spay
and Neuter Immediately, Please) clinic, which brings low-cost and
free
alterations and other procedures to low-income neighborhoods
(http://www.HelpingAnimals.com/i-nobirth-snip.html). Since every
animal purchased from a pet store or breeder means that another
homeless animal must die, adopting an animal from a shelter or rescue
group is the only responsible way to bring a furry friend into your
life
(http://www.PETA.org/factsheet/files/FactsheetDisplay.asp?ID=29).

To learn more about what PETA is doing for companion animals and how
you can help, please see the following Web sites: